News Release

Embargo: not for publication or broadcast before 09.30 am on Tuesday 24 July

New study reveals rapid growth in cultural employment

The UK Cultural Sector: Profile and Policy Issues, published today (24 July) by the Policy Studies Institute, provides a comprehensive picture of employment in the sector.

The report shows that over the period 1995-1999 employment in the cultural sector grew by 14.3 per cent. This was much faster than in the economy as a whole, representing an increase at nearly three times the rate of total employment.

In 1999, 647,000 people had their main job in the cultural sector as a whole. This figure represents about 2.4 per cent of total employment. The sector employs twice as many people in the UK as agriculture, and nearly as many as something.

The study also shows that:

• In the cultural industries, the fastest percentage growth rates were recorded in the arts facilities (over 70 per cent) and museum activities (nearly 40 per cent). In the cultural occupations, musicians recorded the most rapid employment growth (nearly three times the rate of cultural occupations overall).
• Over one third of the UK's total employment in the cultural sector in 1999 was in Greater London compared to 12 per cent overall. London and the rest of the South East accounted for over half of all employment in the cultural sector, compared to less than a third of employment overall.
• 65 per cent of all those employed in cultural occupations in 1999 were male. The 'librarians, archivists and curators' occupational category was the only one in which women constituted a majority of employees, with more than seven jobs in every ten held by females.
• People employed in the cultural sector tend to be more qualified than in the economy as a whole. In 1999, 47 per cent of those employed in the cultural industries and 53 per cent of those in cultural occupations held a degree-level qualification. This compares to only 24 per cent of all those employed in the UK economy as a whole.
• Radio and TV activities recorded the highest average weekly earnings among the cultural industries in both 1995 and 1999, although the 11 per cent growth in average earnings was considerably less than the 22 per cent growth experienced by the public sector dominated library, archive activities and museums activities industries.
• Self-employment is much more prevalent within the cultural sector than the economy as a whole. For example, in 1999 only 68 per cent of people employed in cultural industries were employees, whereas employees accounted for 88 per cent of overall UK employment.
• Volunteers are widely used in some parts of the cultural sector, especially in heritage and museums. In 1998, historic properties, museums and galleries accounted for over 70 per cent of the volunteers working for the 6000 tourist attractions in the UK.

One of the most striking features of cultural employment is its diversity. For example, in the publishing/reproduction/recording and film industries, over 95 per cent of employment in 1999 was in the private sector, while in library/archive activities, the private sector share was only 1 per cent.

Notes to Editors

1. The UK Cultural Sector: Profile and Policy Issues examines the value and conditions of the subsidy that the sector receives, and those arts and cultural forms that receive it. It covers the built heritage, film, libraries, literature, museums and galleries, performing arts, public broadcasting and the visual arts.

2. Copies of the full report, The UK Cultural Sector: Profile and Policy Issues, published by the Policy Studies Institute, are available from Central Books, 99 Wallis Road, London E98 5LN

3. Sara Selwood is Quintin Hogg Research Fellow at the Centre for Communication and Information Studies, University of Westminster. She is editor of PSI's quarterly journal, Cultural Trends.

4. The research was funded by the Monument Trust, one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts.

5. PSI is a registered educational charity (no 313819) and has no association with any political party, pressure group or commercial interest.